Why do the best workers get more work? Man’s blunt office take on the phenomenon

Being known as the person who always gets the job done can sound like an advantage at work, but an Instagram user has argued that it can also lead to an uneven workload. In a video, a man identified as Cheema claimed that consistently delivering high-quality work can encourage managers to keep assigning responsibilities to the same dependable employees, turning competence into what he described as a “punishment”.

Cheema said employees who establish a reputation for reliability may find themselves receiving additional tasks simply because their managers trust them to complete the work properly.

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A post shared by Cheema | Rides and Real Talks (@harrycheema.ig)

Why dependable employees may get more tasks

Cheema said consistently producing strong work can have an unintended consequence. Once managers become confident that an employee will deliver, they may begin relying on that person for increasingly large responsibilities.

“Friend, if you do your work with complete honesty and deliver 100% good quality, maybe no one has told you this, but it can turn into a punishment for you. Good work is appreciated with more work!” he said.

He argued that this can happen because managers tend to assign more work to employees whose performance they already trust.

“It's a strange thing, but when you do your work well, the other person trusts that you do a great job. After that, they give you even more work because no one else is delivering the kind of quality you do,” he added.

‘Play dumb, and the next person will do the work’

Cheema further claimed that the problem can become more pronounced when colleagues avoid taking responsibility.

“And the other person who doesn't want to work, their work gets handed to you as well,” he said.

He described what he believes can become an unwritten workplace pattern: employees who avoid responsibility may escape additional assignments while dependable colleagues absorb them.

“You know what their theory is? ‘Play dumb, and the next person will do the work.’ You end up being treated like a workhorse, loaded with one task after another, while other people around you are just sitting back and enjoying,” he said.

According to Cheema, this leaves efficient employees carrying responsibilities beyond their original roles simply because they have demonstrated that they can handle them.

Urges employees to set limits

Cheema said employees should be careful not to let their willingness to deliver turn into an unsustainable workload. He advised workers to recognise their limits and establish boundaries around additional responsibilities.

“Learn to set boundaries. Do only as much work as is healthy for you, so that extra work isn't dumped on you,” he said.

He also suggested that employees who feel their efficiency is being exploited should reconsider how much additional work they take on.

“If you feel like this is happening, tone down your work a little. Know your value, and play it smart,” he added.

The text accompanying the video carried a similar message: “Stop being too good at everything. Its a trap”.

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‘Your competence should buy you freedom’

In the caption, Cheema argued that strong performance should ideally give employees greater flexibility rather than automatically resulting in a larger workload.

“Do good work. Know your worth. Set your boundaries. Because your competence should buy you freedom, not just a bigger workload,” he wrote.

The post has prompted discussion about how employees can balance being dependable with protecting their time and workload.

One user agreed with the need to push back when necessary, writing, “100%.......I think one shud learn to say NO whenever required”.

Another offered a different perspective, saying, “One should do his best to improve himself”.

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